Thrissur: Filmmakers, writers, actors and painters from across Kerala have expressed solidarity with veteran filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who has been under attack from BJP and Sangh Parivar groups.
Mr Adoor was among 49 eminent people who sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing their concern over the attacks on those who refused to raise ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans in North India.
The event named ‘With Truth With Adoor’ and organized at Regional Theatre here on Wednesday afternoon was inaugurated by literary critic M.K. Sanu, 92. He said that in his 72 years of public life, he had not seen such an intense atmosphere in the country.
“I do not want to die seeing this. Beyond the Constitution, democracy is culture, and the true culture of India which accepted almost all the beliefs in the world should not be destroyed. With the language of love, the forces of destruction need to be defeated,” he added.
Director Kamal said that the attack on Adoor was a planned move by the Sangh Parivar to intimidate artists and the people of Kerala to gain ground in the state.
Writer M. Mukundan said that even in Uttara Ramay-anan, there were descriptions of Kausalya, mother of Lord Rama, being served meat of calf at Valmiki’s hermitage.
“To an extent, it is good that the Sangh Parivar forces fear writers and artists. They don’t even fear the gods they talk about but are afraid of intellectuals, writers and actors as they are in the habit of manufacturing and spreading falsehoods,” he noted.
Kureepuzha Sreekumar said that characters like ‘Thommi’ in Adoor’s film Vidheyan were now coming against the filmmaker who has won accolades internationally.
Tamil writer S. Ramakris-hnan, film directors Sibi Malayil and Priyananda-nan, artist Kalamandalam Sivan Namboodiri, painters B.D. Dathan and Punijit-haya, Kerala Sahithya Aka-demi president Vaisakhan, Sangeetha Nataka Akademi president and veteran actor KPAC Lalitha among others took part in the meeting.
